An Alexandria-based musician is hoping to spread some cheer throughout the community, with the help of her debut album — Spare Skirt.

Recorded in Ottawa, the album features Katie Ditschun on vocals, piano and even ukulele and has listeners tapping their feet from the very beginning, thanks to its quirky piano pop, its serious jazz notes and strong lyrics.

“The album was released last May,” said Ditschun who, along with her husband and son, have called Alexandria home for the past eight years. “I’ve always done music, it’s my thing. I wanted to write music because it was a way to deal with what was happening in my life. It’s kind of a therapy, so to speak, when we put stuff down on paper.

“You write your songs based on your own life experiences. Sometimes, writing helps you deal, it helps you cope, and it helps you come to terms with what is happening in your life.”

One of her singles, titled Here we are, has recently seen a surge in popularity lately, with it being streamed more than a 1,000 times in the course of a few days.

“The song speaks to the feeling that there’s some distance between what your life is and how you thought it would turn out, who you thought you’d become, or where you thought you’d be,” she said. “Now more than ever, we’re all finding ourselves with plans pushed aside, and wondering how we go on like this, and for how long.”

Prior to releasing her album, Ditschun had dabbled in songwriting since an early age, eventually taking songwriting courses while attending Berklee (College of Music).

Born and raised in Brantford, Ont., Ditschun spent time in Montreal, following her studies at Berklee College of Music for jazz and contemporary vocal, before returning to her home province.

Diagnosed at 18 months old with juvenile arthritis, the musician began piano lessons at age four to keep her fingers moving.

“I could read music before I could read books,” she recalled. “Singing is all I want to do. I love songwriting and teaching private music lessons, but there’s something about being in the moment when the music is all there is.”

After focusing on motherhood, Ditschun decided to go back to music in order to hone her skills and, according to her, get better. According to her, it was the onset of her mother’s terminal illness that gave her the push to pursue music full-time.

Spare Skirt took her about a year and a half to create, albeit she admitted the process was long.

“One of the songs I wrote almost 20 years ago,” she said. “Another of the songs I wrote right before going into the studio. In a way, it was a very long process, but in terms of the bulk of it, getting it to the studio and getting it done, it took about a year to a year and a half.”